Visible Light

The cosmetic industry has invested a lot of efforts in consumer education to make them aware of the harmful effects of sunlight on skin – with a strong focus on UV radiation. First UVB then UVA. However, since the 80’s, we know that the 280-400 nm portion of the light spectrum is not the only one to penetrate the skin and trigger undesirable reactions. Infrared rays (700 nm–1 mm), especially those of near infrared (IRA, 700–1400 nm) have been identified to cause heat and oxidative damages, contributing to wrinkle formation. More recently research has been focusing on the specific effects of visible light.

High Energy Visible Light

Visible light corresponds to the spectrum comprised between 400 and 700 nm. Its high energy part (400–500 nm) is called blue light – the same type as the light emitted by our computers and mobile screens.Visible light penetrates deep into the skin down to the subcutis. Research has shown that especially blue light induces oxidative stress and hyperpigmentation phenomena that are even more persistent than those induced by UV radiation.As filtering visible light is not realistic, alternative protection strategies need to be considered.

Protection Against Visible Light

Symrise, a leading player in sun protection, has been one of the pioneer companies to explore skin protection beyond UVs. Among other actives, Dragosine® has been shown to have excellent results when it comes to protection against infrared-induced skin damages. Now, Symrise is presenting a new set of in-vitro and ex-vivo results on hyperpigmentation induced by high-energy visible light.